Man-power boat



J. 6. WILSON. MAN POWER BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIO. m9. 1,821,267. Patented N0v. 11, 1919.

A TI'ORNEVS WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. WILSON, or ELLENIDALE, DELAWARE.

MAN-POWER BOAT.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, JOHN G. WVILsON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ellendale, in the county of Sussex and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Man- Power Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in manually operated power boats, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an improved propeller driven boat on which a man may be supported in the water, hand operated crank means being provided for driving the propeller, and foot operated means for controlling the rudder.

A further object of the invention is to provide an amusement device by which a swimmer m.y readily propel himself about in the water.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved man power boat which will be exceedingly simple, durable, eflicient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures-of which:

Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of a boat constructed according to my invention, and

Fig. 2 represents a bottom view thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the boat is made preferably of a solid wooden hull 5 which is slightly greater in length than the height of an average man, the bottom of such hull being gradually tapered upwardly toward the stern as at 6, and having a gradually rounded and pointed prow 7 Although I prefer to use a suitable quality and grade of wood in making the hull, it will be understood that Imay make it of'hollow metal, or, indeed, of any suitable material w Arranged beneath the keel of the hull is a propeller shaft 8, carried obliquely in bearings provided in depending brackets 9, which shaft at its rear end projects through a tube 10, carried by the rearmost bracket,

and is equipped with a propeller 11 for Specification of Letters l atent.

i Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Appficationfled Ma io, 1919. serial no. 296,096.

driving the boat through the water, said propeller being inclined slightly forward from a vertical plane of revolution.

A beveled pinion 12 mounted at the forward end of the shaft 8, is driven from a gear 13 mounted for rotation in depending brackets 1 1. The gear 13 is fixed on a shaft 15 to which the opposed crank handles 16 are secured. As will be noted from the drawing the gear is arranged under the front end of the boat, the handles 16 projecting beyond the sides of the boat in convenient position to be engaged by the hands of a man when he is stretched out upon the boat in a position indicated in Fig. 1, the upper surface of the boat being flat.

he gear 13 is heavy enough to act as a flywheel, and the operator of the boat, by rotating the gear will cause the rotation of the propeller 11, and hence drive the boat forward.

Steering is accomplished by means of a rudder 17 carried at the rear end of the pivoted arm 18, which is integral with a cross arm 19, the ends of which project beyond the sides of the boat at the stern of the latter. These projecting ends 19 of the cross arm are in position to be engaged by the feet of the operator, whereby movement of the propeller in controlling the direction of travel of the boat may be accomplished. A strap 20 fixed intermediate its ends to the hull, may be used in securing the operator in place on the hull,

Although I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I may desire to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts thereof, as do not depart from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. By placing the propeller shaft 8," obliquely, and the propeller 11, inclined toward the front away from a vertical plane of revolution, the shaft and driving gear, being located beneath the hull and'along the longitudinal center of same, act as a weighted keel and renders the device more stable and it prevents rolling over or Wabbling of the boat, the gear 13 acting practically as a center board.

- I claim r 1. A device of the class described comprising a hull having a flat upper surface on which an operator is adapted to lie in prone position, a gear wheel arranged beneath the hull and having cranks engage able by the hands of the operator for rotat 1 ing the gear, a propeller shaft arranged beneath the heel and driven from the gear, said shaft inclined upwardly to the rear and provided with a propeller for driving the boat, said propeller inclined forwardly at a vertical plane of revolution, and a foot operated rudder mounted at the stern of the boat.

2. A device as herein characterized and comprising a hull having a fiat upper surface and driving means suspended beneath JOHN G. WILSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ZPatents, Washington, I). C. 

